ISOLA CATANIA NOVEMBER 25, 2024

Journalist

Professor of Business Economics and Management

ROSARIO FARACIUNIVERSITà DEGLI STUDI DI CATANIA

Catania, FROM AN ENTREPRENEURIAL CITY TO AN ENTREPRENEURIAL ECOSYSTEM Is the best yet to come?

- Social Implications- Impact on Entrepreneurship - Storytelling about the territory

IT'S AN INTERESTING TOPIC

#catania

#ecosystem

Entrepreneurial Ecosystem

DEFINITION OF ENTREPRENEURIAL ECOSYSTEM (STAM & SPIGEL, 2016)

"A set of interdependent actors and factors coordinated in such a way as to enable productive entrepreneurship within a particular territory"

ENTREPRENEURIAL ECOSYSTEM

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Which are the metrics of productive entrepreneurship?

RESULTS

FIRMS AND INSTITUTIONS

Who are the main protagonists and which are the components of an entrepreneurial ecosystem?

ACTORS

PEOPLE PROFIT PLANET

What is the impact of an entrepreneurial ecosystems in terms of Sustainable Development Goals (Agenda 2030)?

IMPACT

RELATIONSHIP AND POLICIES

Which factors drive the entrepreneurial ecosystem?

FACTORS

THE "BIG PICTURE"

What's the optimal size of the territory

or South-East of Sicily? or what?

Catania Urban District or Catania Metropolitan Area?

AN ENTREPRENEURIAL CITY OR AN ENTREPRENEURIAL ECOSYSTEM?

CATANIA

A MAP OF CATANIA URBAN DISTRICT

2,000 ODCECCT

25 only in CT

UNICT: 17 + 3Teaching Centers

30 in Catania

143 in Catania

21 in Catania22,398 students

ENEL, STM, ZOETIS, PSTS, Pelligra Groups,Big Fish ( Renantis Groups), etc.

17 residents

INGV, INFN, CNR, INAF JOL TIM, etc.

0, but few not certified are active

24,186 units86,260 employees

35,647 enrolled5,740 graduate

Certified Public Accountants

Innovative SMEs

University Departments.

Banks

Innovative Startups

Secondary Schools

Investitors

Large firms

Research Centers

Certified Incubators

Firms

University of Catania

ACTORS

A DIFFERENT STORYTELLING VS THE DOMINANT STORYTELLING

Which are the results of such entrepreneurial flows?

QUALITY OF LIFE OF IITALIAN PROVINCES

Economia Civile

97°

Italia Oggi

106°

Il Sole 24 Ore

98°

Dominant Storytelling

23°

innovative startups and SMEs for every 100,000 registered businesses

22°

innovative startups for every 1,000 joint-stock companies

Catania Entrepreneurial City

ceased firms every 100,000 active firms

14°

businesses under 35 for every 100 registered businesses

16°

net registration rate in the Company Register

6°

An alternative storytelling

love need casuality

La Sicilia January,4 2024

FURTHER RESEARCH OF PROF.FARACISOURCES: INFOCAMERE, REGISTRO IMPRESE & ALMALAUREA

creation of new businesses out of the total number of businesses in 10 years: +5.80% higher than the national average (new entrepreneurship) innovative startups out of the total joint-stock companies in 10 years: +1.28% higher than the national average (innovative entrepreneurship) graduates who start a self-employed business within one year of graduation out of the total graduates: 11.07% higher than the national average in 10 years (academic entrepreneurship)

0.33 average 5years

6.25 billions €

La Sicilia April 4, 2024

Intra-preneurship

Start up e PMI innovative: 143 + 25 Young businesses (within the first 5 years): 1,130 in 2023 (estimate compared to provincial data) Large Firms: 17

ONLY IN CATANIA

PRODUCTIVE ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Start up & Innovative SMEs: 243 + 50 Young businesses (within the first 5 years): 4,968 in 2023 Large firms: 40

EXTENDING CATANIA TO THE METROPOLITAN AREA

PRODUCTIVE ENTREPRENEURSHIP

A STORYTELLING BASED ON EVIDENCE

IS CATANIA AN ENTREPRENEURIAL ECOSYSTEM?

Catania's entrepreneurial ecosystem is the first in Sicily, the tenth in the South-Islands area, but with a score of 7.96 it deviates from the national average (10) It ranks 57th nationally.

A SURVEY OF 2022

THE POSITION OF CATANIA

2018

What is Catania missing to get closer to these two more mature entrepreneurial ecosystem models?

VALENCIA

TURIN

"A set of interdependent actors and factors coordinated in such a way as to enable productive entrepreneurship within a particular territory"

Go back to the definition

Entrepreneurial Ecosystem

DEFINITION OF AN ENTREPRENEURIAL ECOSYSTEM (STAM & SPIGEL, 2016)

Some interesting stories

An ecosystem of innovation promoted by the University of Catania

SAMOTHRACE

One of the most visible and successful startup in the territory

ORANGE FIBER

A social firm and a co-working space to boost social entrepreneurship

ISOLA CATANIA

A consortium of IT companies

EHT

Some interesting stories

The largest Sicilian Company now located in Catania

GRUPPO ARENA

An Open Innovation Center promoted by ENEL the largest energy company in Italy

ENEL INNOVATION HUB

An International Cooperation Hub di Acireale

FREE MIND FOUNDRY

Business plan competition promoted by University of CT

START CUP CATANIA

Some interesting stories

A startup incubatore & accelerator promoted by EHT, the consortium of IT firms

HARMONIC

A startup accelerator promoted by Credit Agricole

LE VILLAGE

Business and startup incubator promoted by private investors

BIC SICILIA

High specialization school recognized by the Ministry of School

STEVE JOBS ACADEMY

Some interesting stories

A co-working space for students promoted by UNICT

CONTAMINATION LAB

An accelerator promoted by TIM, the largest telecom company in Italy

TIM WCAP

Living Lab promoted by the City Hall of Catania

NICT NACT

An incubator promoted by the University of Catania as a tool of technology transfer

INCUBATORE UNICT

Some of the main actors in the territory - Male Section

SIMONE MASSARO

MIRKO VIOLA

EMANUELE SPAMPINATO

ANTONIOPERDICHIZZI

Some of the main actors in the territory - Female Section

LOREDANA CASTRO

ERICA TODARO

ADRIANA SANTANOCITO

ELITA SCHILLACI

External Entrepreneurship promoted by non Sicilian investors

57°

7.96

Samothrace Foundations

Crowdfunding

Venture Capital

Incubators

Consultants

Certified Public Accountants and Other Professionals

Schools, University & Others

CATANIA

SUSTAINABILITY

University Entrepreneurial Programs

Social Norms

Initiatives promoted by Catania City Hall

Successful Stories

Academic Entrepreneurship

New Firms

large Firms

Startup & Innovative SMEs

We are mentioned as Etna Valley. What is missing?

We are not the Sicilian version of Silicon Valley

CPA

Rosario Faraci

Third Sector

Schools

start up

ISOLA

COM CT

EHT

UNI CT

STM ENEL

Interdependency

LITTLE CONSISTENCY OF SOME ELEMENTS (E.G. INFRASTRUCTURE and FINANCE)

LOW INTERNATIONAL OPENNESS (I.E. EXPORT)

WEAK RELATIONSHIPS AMONG ACTORS

Coordination

The CENTRAL THEME OF COORDINATION

A hierarchical or relational governance? Publicly supported (Municipality, University) or privately-held or Third Sector-driven? Who is the anchor tenant of the territory?

Catania,Greenoble & STMicrolectr.

2009-2011

WHO IS THE ANCHOR TENANT OF THE CATANIA ECOSYSTEM?

BUT THEY ARE ALSO NEEDED

THEREFORE: GREATER INTERDEPENDENCE BETWEEN THE ACTORS AND EFFECTIVE COORDINATION IS NEEDED

RESEARCH AND INNOVATION

University research activity, patent, second place Start Cup Catania 2020, Spin-Off of the University of Catania collaborates with Sacco System Company Prof. Cinzia Randazzo and her team

PROBIOETNA

Research activity, patent, second place Start Cup Catania 2023 (Start Cup Sicily-PNI), Spin-off of the University of Catania Prof. Giuseppe Musumeci and his team

SMART KNEE

Entrepreneurial intuition, first place in Start Cup Catania 2021 and Cup Sicily 2021, patent in collaboration with UNICT, establishment of the start up founders Arianna Campione & Anna Cacopardo

KYMIA

Start Cup Catania

Youth Hub

MENTOR-MENTEE

PEER-TO-PEER

CONNECTIONS

2023: +7%

2.3 billion€

Foreign investments

Export

CT

Tourism

Pharmaceutical Industry

ICT

Agri-food (wine and oil)

ST Microelectronics

INTERNATIONALIZATION

Entrepreneurial ecosystem with a plural economy (multi-sector)? Entrepreneurial ecosystem with an IT-technological vocation? Microelectronically driven entrepreneurial ecosystem? Entrepreneurial ecosystem with a social vocation?

IDENTITY AND VOCATION

DIRECTION

IMPACT (OUTCOME) - SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS

Ultimately what matters in an entrepreneurial ecosystem...

If Catania were a more mature entrepreneurial ecosystem

STEM Graduates

Moral Question

impact

Legality

Suburbs

Educational Poverty

Talent Trap

Youth female unemployment

Mismatch in the job market

Social Cohesion

Gender Gap

Youth emigration

School dropout

NEET

Economic Poverty

Marea will be the Sicilian foundation dedicated to supporting the creation of impact businesses in Sicily, with the aim of creating job opportunities and fighting depopulation. Currently, it does not yet exist: we are raising 300,000 euros to cover the costs of the structure and the start-up fund and officially establish it on 18 December 2024, World Migrant Day.

Port, Airport, A18 and A19 (Highways), Metro, Railways make the entrepreneurial ecosystem of Catania "naturally" open to other neighboring territorial ecosystems (Southeast Sicily) Etna is a factor in the attractiveness of the area The most appropriate entrepreneurial ecosystem in Catania is the metropolitan one.

AN ENTREPRENEURIAL ECOSYSTEM ON A LARGE SCALE

CATANIA

We always look at the glass half full Yes, the best is yet to come

AN ENTREPRENEURIAL ECOSYSTEM ON A LARGE SCALE

CATANIA

Rosario Faraci

THANKS!